7-6-88 . . . Odds and ends: (1) Great news! Alan Trammell, shortstop of the Detroit Tigers, has been elected by the fans as a starter in next week’s All-Star game. He’s hitting .330, with ten home runs and forty runs batted in. Last year, he led the Tigers to the Eastern Division title with a .343 batting average, twenty-eight home runs, and 105 runs batted in. He is, in my mind, the premier shortstop in baseball. But unfortunately, Alan has a fractured elbow and was recently placed on the fifteen-day disabled list. That means he won’t be able to play in the All-Star game. Isn’t that ironic? At long last he beats Cal Ripken of the [Baltimore] Orioles, and he can’t play. Ripken will probably start in his place.